My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

 

"Like a jazz musician improvising, or a surfer looking for a wave, or a bird riding a current of air, you'll be rewarded by moments where everything comes together."

I've wanted to read this for quite some time now and was definitely not disappointed. Gloria Steinem is my spirit animal - someone that can't sit still and understands both the appeal and rewards of travel, apart from all the other amazing work she has done. Ms Steinem is the kind of woman that makes me think 'what the hell am I doing with my life', as I would have to never sleep again to attain her level of accolades and yet she gives us the gift of this book that talks about the importance of listening intently and acting where possible, of finding out what the big, wild, world has to offer and cherishing its lessons.

A love story to the road, to women and to a full life. Its hard not to feel charged up after reading this delightful read, as delighted as you'll be by a torrent of anecdotes, there's an underlying impetus to continue the journey in your own fashion, at the very least so you'll have interesting tales to spin in old age.

5 out of 5 - grab yourself a copy for your next trip out there in the big unknown.

Luster by Raven Leilani

"To be unemployed and wearing his wife's jeans is concrete."

Is 2021 the year of Millennial Soft Porn? Okay, I'm kind of joking here, nevertheless this debut novel is chock full of awkwardly unemotional sex and sexual commerce. A young black artist, Edie,  living in squalor ( well actually cockroaches are everywhere) dates an older man who takes her to Disneyland on their first date - hello red flag. Things get stranger and stranger as she meets the man's wife and becomes  a fixture of the couple's life. The white couple had adopted a young black girl and the wife is perplexed as to how to deal with her 'otherness', next thing Edie has moved in and things just get rather strained. All of these situations combined make for some truly problematic circumstances and part of the appeal of the novel is to find out where the hell this ride is heading.

As a debut novel, it is impressive, even if it feels that all the characters are rather unlikeable and troubled, perhaps that is part of the appeal...trying to make sense of a crazy world.

4 out of 5 - everyone just needs a decent hug.

 

Milk Fed by Melissa Border

 

"I could never tell if other people genuinely believed their own bullshit or not."

Milk Fed was an unusual book club read and raised some delighted banter about frozen yoghurt. Melissa Border has an amazing way with words and the novel begins strongly appealing to the constant battle most women face with counting calories and trying to appease our mothers - or maybe that's just me?

Rachel has a healthy fantasy life which seems a lot healthier than her dietary obsessions. Broder's inner depictions of her heroine's fantasies practically drip off the pages. Rachel genuinely seems lost but constantly seeking reassurance and love in all the wrong places. Her chief desire is the one frozen yoghurt treat she permits herself per week, however her control will be tested when she meets Miriam, who represents freedom from calorie counting, but is herself restricted by religious customs. Rachel's attempts to fit into Miriam's Jewish Orthodox family are painfully awkward. One senses that Miriam is just like a calorie-laden dessert, an overwhelming desire, that once sated quickly loses its appeal.

A speedy and enjoyable read, that perhaps lost my undivided attention about three-quarters through. That's not to say it isn't great, just that it failed to resonate quite so strongly as the plot played out. Ultimately, I wanted more for Rachel than ephemeral lust, but then again, maybe she just epitomises the state of confusion so many of us find ourselves in today - looking for everything in one person, when the statistics suggest that is entirely unlikely.

In any case this book made me equal parts excited and hungry - never a good combination!!

4 out of 5 - get this girl some frozen yoghurt stat!!

4 out of 5